The Backwards Second Chance
by Aeria
Summary: Rose asks the Doctor why he came back for her in the very first episode. Set directly after The Doctor Dances and yes, I do apologise for the title.


**Title**: The Backwards Second Chance

**Rating**: PG

**Spoilers**: Major for Rose, minor for the next 9 episodes

**Summary**: Rose asks the Doctor why he came back for her in the very first episode. Set after "The Doctor Dances"

**A/N**: Hi, I'm new to this fandom, don't kill me because of my writing, or the atrocious title and summary, I'm an aussie and therefore, I'm miles behind the rest of the world in such things as Doctor Who episodes. My grammar, characterization, etc., can also be blamed on my country, I think. So, apologies, Me and three friend spent a whole night watching the first ten episodes and this is what results. Eh.

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"Why'd you come back?" Rose's question startled him a little, he couldn't see her from the position he was in; she was somewhere above, probably on the other side of the console, while he was wedged in underneath tweaking something unnecessarily. He'd known she was up there, had felt the air change as she walked in and heard her as she walked around to slouch over the controls, obviously watching him from a vantage point where she couldn't be seen.

He slid back, reaching up and pulling himself half out or the crawlspace to glance at her before examining a bundle of cords he had a grip on. "Hmmm?"

Rose looked to where he sat and rephrased, "When you first asked me to come with you and I refused, you came back and tried again."

He slid back down, doing his best not to look like a deer caught in headlights and began plugging the bundle of wires into random sockets; a small explosion would be a blessing about now. How he'd hoped she would never think to ask. He'd only been gone a handful of seconds and there was no reason not to think he hadn't just decided on a whim to go back and try again, how on earth her suspicion had been aroused was beyond him.

But she wasn't going to let it slip by, she'd wondered at it for a few months now and with the doctor's recent good mood she'd decided it was high time she asked. She could see most of him laid out under the Tardis's floor from where she was and when he peaked out she'd managed to see, quite clearly, the change in his expression as she gave him the million dollar question. After a moment more she prompted, "Well?"

"It's complicated."

She walked around to stand directly over him, raised an eyebrow, smiled and waited.

That smile was, in his mind, a force to be reckoned with. To say it was unique was an understatement, to say it was attractive wasn't really a good representation of reality either. Her lips were full and lush, and her teeth: white and straight, but this wasn't what was remarkable. He'd discovered she had a habit of sticking her tongue between her teeth when she smiled, that was unique, he'd never seen it before, not in humans or any other species, and, from the first time he saw it, he found it endearing. A few seconds after, it was incredibly sexy and moments later, it was getting to be an obsession. And now it was one of two things he couldn't resist, the other being dancing with her, and he'd only done that the once, just yesterday.

And now she was using it against him, briefly he wondered if she knew just how powerful she was before returning to the matter at hand: best deal with this quickly. He rubbed his hands together before once again dragging himself out and standing up to lean with his back to the console, all the while trying to look casual. "I happened upon someone who convinced me to go back because you would say yes."

"You met me," she paused, "And, isn't that changing the past, like what I did with my dad?"

"No, not you, and no, not changing the past." And with that he began tinkering with the console.

"How is that not changing the past? If you ran into someone in the future and because of them you came back and changed your actions, you're changing something in the past."

He looked at her, clearly not impressed with her reasoning, though time was a tricky thing to reason with, he'd grant her that. The temptation to impress, him being so impressive and all, was planted though and he followed through without thinking, "Because, Rose," he dragged her name out, "According to this person I already had gone back and asked you again. Technically, you'd already said yes."

She stared at him and he delighted in watching as her brow creased and her mind completely rearranged to create a whole new understanding of the universe. His delight was cut short when she asked another question, "But who'd you meet?"

"A woman, in the year 2064."

She gave him a second to continue, "And did she have a name," she flicked her hair out of her eyes, her frustration growing as he refused to meet her eyes and refused to give her proper answers.

"No, she didn't."

"I'm not going to stop asking until I know why you went back."

"Why is it so important?" He stalked over to the other side of the console and began to tinker there, she followed him round.

He looked up when she didn't answer and saw a very angry Rose Tyler. He'd encountered this on a few occasions and knew that if there was any way of avoiding her wrath he should take it. At a guess, she could stay this angry for a month. With this in mind he looked her straight in the eye and said, "She didn't give her name and I didn't ask. She made the claim of being your daughter and told me that I went back and you said yes. That's why I came back."

That left her gobsmacked long enough for him to take several large steps and begin his escape. Her next question didn't stop him, "I have a daughter?"

"Not yet," he called from somewhere down a corridor.

"Does she have lovely blue eyes?"

That stopped him dead. A slow grin spread on his face. "No," a pause, "Big ears though."

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A/N2: Well, what do you all think?………Bah. 


End file.
